Senator files complaint against 3 magistrates over no-cost bonds

Published 2:55 pm, Thursday, December 1, 2016

An influential Texas lawmaker on Thursday filed formal complaints against three Harris County magistrate judges after they were captured on videotape rushing misdemeanor defendants to jail without considering no-cost bonds.

State Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, filed the complaints with the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, citing an article published Thursday in the Houston Chronicle about the hearings and videos.

"The total disregard for citizens and the complete lack of judicial temperament and professionalism are unacceptable," Whitmire told the Chronicle. "I am requesting a thorough investigation by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct to determine if these violations are intentional, individual, or the responsibility of the elected judges who appoint these magistrates."

He complaints were lodged against Magistrates Eric Hagstette, Joseph Licata III and Jill Wallace. The hearing officers could not be reached immediately for comment.

Whitmire said he named the magistrates specifically in his complaint because of "obvious failures" to conduct hearings as required by statute.

"The total disregard for citizens and the complete lack of judicial temperament and professionalism are unacceptable," Whitmire told the Chronicle. "I am requesting a thorough investigation by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct to determine if these violations are intentional, individual, or the responsibility of the elected judges who appoint these magistrates," Whitmire said.

"Texas governing statutes clearly state that a magistrate should exercise their full discretion when conducting probable cause hearings and setting bond amounts," Whitmire said. "It is clear from the video of their hearings that this is clearly not the case with these magistrates. It appears the probable cause hearings in Harris County not only violate the intent of these statutes, but also the letter of the law."

The Chronicle reported on videotaped encounters released by the Texas Organizing Project showing what officials say is judicial indifference to poor, homeless and low-level defendants.

The videos illustrate allegations that have surfaced in a federal lawsuit filed in May in Houston that accuses magistrates, county court-at-law judges and the county sheriff of violating the rights of misdemeanor criminal defendants by jailing nearly everyone who can't afford to post bond without properly considering their ability to pay.